Glass block windows or walls have enjoyed popularity in residential and commercial buildings for many years. Glass blocks present a unique problem in building construction in that installing glass blocks in the same manner as conventional masonry is time consuming and such blocks are difficult to install in a manner which is aesthetically pleasing. Accordingly, there have been previous efforts to develop pre-fabricated frames which are adapted to support glass blocks whereby glass block windows or an entire wall or partition may be built using such pre-fabricated frame members. Thus, conventional masonry construction may be avoided and, if necessary, individual glass blocks may be replaced if broken or chipped without requiring replacement of an entire wall or without the difficulty of replacing one or two glass blocks which may have been damaged in a masonry glass block wall.
Although prior efforts have been made to provide modular glass block frames or grids there have been several long sought improvements which include providing frame components which are easily fabricated and lend themselves to easy fabrication of various sizes of frames, whereby the frames may be built for various combinations of blocks or grids in a timely manner and at low cost. In this regard it is often desirable to use frame components that may be extruded of extrudable materials, particularly plastic.
There have been several needs in the art of glass block frames which have not been previously met and it is to these ends that the present invention has been developed.